Bears in the SJ Wilderness

[Hikin_Jim]

Wow. Cool stuff. Funny how individuals mattered so much in those days.

Thanks for the post.

HJ

[Pitownpi]

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[momphrare]

I've asked this question to a number of people who should know (Calif. Fish and Game, Forest Service, U.C. Riverside James Reserve manager). The Black Bears were introduced into the San Bernardino Mountains in the 1930s. There use to be Grizzly Bears in the San Jacinto's, but they were all killed off by the end of the 1800s. There have not been known to be any breeding Black bears in the San Jacintos. Now and then a Black Bear comes south across (actually "below" in animal migration corridors) the 10 freeeway. They tend to either end up around Palm Springs or Idyllwild. The natural food in the San Jacintos just doesn't seem to provide the meal they want. They end up being pests around the dumpsters. They are then taken back to the San Bernardinos. There is a rumor that the State has tried to establish bears in the San Jacintos but I was not able to get anyone with California Fish and Game to admit it. My guess is it didn't happen.

Was doing some research for a paper and found this in a book. Thought I'd throw it up on this old post. Nick-SJM was pretty much dead on. :wink:

"The Black Bear: A modern-day example of dispersal across the barrier of the San Gorgonia Pass involves the black bear (Ursus americanus). The black bear lives in the San Bernardino Mountains where it was introduced in 1933 by officials of the California Fish and Game Department. The population has grown tremendously, resulting in many individuals being forced from their prime mountain habitat into surrounding environments. Several have wandered in the town of Banning in the San Gorgonio Pass. One was found wandering in a desert wash near Palm Springs, and still another was seen running across Interstate Highway 10 toward the San Jacinto Mountains. At least one, and perhaps as many as three black bears, have been detected in the San Jacintos since 1970" - Cornett, J. W. (1996). The San Jacinto Mountains A Brief Natural History. San Bernardino CA: Crown Printers.